Echo
by razzamtaz
Summary: Set a few years after The Avengers movie, around 2015. Tony Stark is on top of the world, he's got everything anyone could want; money, cars, girls... so why isn't he happy? Something's missing, and only Steve Roers can show him what. Unfinished
1. Chapter 1

Echo

"_Hello New York! Oh man, is everyone ready to have the time of their lives? Well, welcome to the Stark Expo! Tomorrow is today!"_

Tony couldn't pin-point the time when he started re-watching his public announcements, but somehow he found it comforting. Now, lounging in his private suite, he was finally away from prying eyes. Wherever he went he was bombarded with people wanting a piece of him and he could never be alone... yet somehow he was always alone. Tony shook his head, trying to rid his head off such thoughts and turned his attention back to his own grinning face on the screen in front of him. Maybe he did this because he knew how these stories ended, a couple more peace signs and manic waves and he would be done, the illusion of Tony Stark, the most successful man in the world was reinforced into everyone's minds.

Tony leaned forward and put his head in his hands, "TV off". His head was always teeming with ideas, but he felt different at the moment, his thoughts unconnected and moods sporadic. He probably just needed another drink. He pushed himself to his feet and moved to his drinks cabinet, mindlessly filling another glass with whatever he found within.

"Sir, Ms Potts wishing to speak with you," Jarvis' curt British voice cut through Tony's brain like a bullet. He sighed, putting the bottle down and returning to his seat,

"Alright, put her through," Tony dreaded this conversation like he dreaded all conversations nowadays but it seemed inevitable so he let it pass through him like the alcohol he was unable to stop consuming,

"Tony, what the hell is going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Cut the crap Tony, you haven't left the house in a week."

"Been monitoring my house now have we?"

"You know as well as I do that the media has a fucking frenzy whenever you do anything so there's a godamn reason why I know you've _not_ been doing anything."

"And what's it to you? You don't work for me anymore."

"Yes but I'm supposedly your friend so I want to know what the hell is wrong with formally the busiest, most attention-seeking man in the entire world!"

"He had a break, is that a crime?"

"It is when he's Tony fucking Stark! Look either I come over and sort this out with you or you go out there and do your job."

"Alright alright, I'm going!" He hung up on her, barely glancing up from the drink in his hand, it was going to be a long week.

"_Hello New York! Oh man, is everyone ready to have the time of their lives? Well, welcome to the Stark Expo! Tomorrow is today!"_

Steve missed Tony, he didn't know when this had happened or why but he could no longer ignore the feeling of wanting to talk to Tony. This was why he had resorted to watching old videos of him, when he was happy, or at least he seemed happy. He knew a lot had gone downhill for Tony since The Avengers Initiative disbanded and Pepper left him and he wished more than anything that he could fix it. At the same time though he knew it was his fault and he knew how unlikely it was that Tony would forgive him.

Any days Steve didn't spend being Captain America, he spent in his Brooklyn flat, an original build from the 1940's. But there was only so long Steve could go padding around and eating cereal before he thought of how active his life had been before, how much more fun, Steve now realised. He had of course initially kept contact with the other Avengers, even completed a couple of missions with Clint and Natasha but it wasn't the same. Steve regretted the choice he made to make the team part ways every day because now, he didn't even have a group of dysfunctional teammates, now he had no one.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mr Stark, Mr Stark!"

"Over here Tony!"

"Tony Stark, one minute of your time please?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair and cut through the babble without missing a beat, it had been like this his whole life and he was about to start letting it get to him. He had donned his best pinstripe suit for the occasion and had sobered up as best he could. He felt bodies press against him on all sides as he shouldered his way to the entrance of the conference building. Paparazzi didn't even feel like people anymore just nuisances he had no time for, which he knew was crude and ungrateful but it wasn't his job to be compassioante. It was times like this he thought of Steve and how much compassion he had for everyone, Tony used to scoff at the time and effort Steve went to to make each fan feel like they made a connection with the great Captain America but now Tony wished he had the capacity to make just one person feel like that.

It was almost irritatingly easy to organise a very well attended public speech, everyone still rushed to him at the drop of a hat it seems. He hated how much the public had grown to rely on him, feeding off his existence like petty mice; he was only one man for god's sake. But Tony had to remember as he was prepped by a some twenty year old with ponytail and a headset, this was his _domain. _Time to come alive again, show the world who's boss, maybe feel that rush of adrenaline and appreciate the respect he was given like he used to. Maybe. He took a deep breath, removing his sunglasses and stepped up to podium,

"Hey world! Tony Stark here, missed me?" Winning smile, casual lean, hand thrown in the air as a greting. Yup, this felt normal again, if he closed his eyes he could pretend everything was alright, pretend he was happy.

The next half hour past in a blur of nosey media questions, shameless self-promotion and numerious reminders to himself that it was nearly over. He sometimes got the feeling that if stood at the edge and screamed 'Stark Industries is brilliant and I am a genius," over and over again that it would have the same effect on the dimwits, they all lapped up his bullshit like it was the elixir of life, except for Douglas Wainwright. Douglas Wainwright, the no nonsense business talker he had employed to be Stark Industries' new CEOwas no doubt a wildly intelligent man but he was also a wilidly angry and boring man. He glowered and fidgeted from just off stage for the entire time like an ever present itch, despite usually keeping as much distance between himself and Tony as possible.

"That was atrocious, why have you always got to play the charming fool? You're making the company look like a joke" He snarled as Tony finally made his grand exit, all laughs and waves. He had to stifle a snort as he saw Douglas' moustache bristle at the sight,

"Correction, I always play the charming billionaire. Now if you'll excuse me, fuck off." He knew it wasn't a good idea to piss off the man essentially in charge of all his money but he couldn't care less at this point. Or any point. If Tony was to say when he stopped caring about anything and everything he would guess at the moment when Steve fucking Rogers said the Avengers just weren't 'compatible' anymore. Compatible, what does that even mean? It had been almost a year now but the words still stung whenever he thought of them, which was regularly, he could never keep himself from being sidetracked by the memory of them.

At least he still had Happy. The drive back to his apartment in Stark Tower was unnecessarily climatic, by the end and with a total of four cars trying to follow them, Tony had forgotten if decent human beings existed. And then of course, he again thought of Steve.


End file.
